


Strawhat Mania

by FMPtrumpets



Category: One Piece
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen, Short One Shot
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-14
Updated: 2021-03-08
Packaged: 2021-03-12 10:41:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 11,658
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28759011
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FMPtrumpets/pseuds/FMPtrumpets
Summary: Just a series of one-shots. Will be added to randomly, as I get ideas. Will be mostly the Strawhats, other crews might be added randomly too. Will be added to as ideas come to me!
Relationships: Monkey D. Luffy & Mugiwara Kaizoku | Strawhat Pirates, Monkey D. Luffy & Portgas D. Ace & Sabo
Comments: 5
Kudos: 53





	1. Luffy- After the Storm

**Author's Note:**

> I got this idea while I was reading 'First Mate', by midnite-republic on Fanfiction. I figured, what if Zoro wasn't really sleeping, during their first major weather crisis of the Grand Line?

Luffy sat on the figurehead of the Going Merry, thinking about what they just went through. These seas were certainly different, and so much fun! But also dangerous. They were going to have to be careful, and make sure that they were ready for anything at all times.

They were on their way to Whiskey Peak, along with their two guests. Luffy wasn't stupid, he knew that the girl was more than she seemed. She kinda reminded him of Nami when she was trying to convince them to leave her home island, that she had killed Usopp and would kill them too. What she was saying, and the look in her eyes had not agreed with each other. Her mouth said 'leave', her eyes had screamed 'stay'. The girl... Miss Wednesday, she was kind of the same way. It was clear to Luffy that something was wrong, that she wanted to be anywhere but here, she was worried about something. It hadn't seemed to Luffy like she was really trying to kill Laboon, but rather, putting on an act. An act for her partner, maybe? Like how Nami had to put on an act for Arlong?

That was the only reason he was helping them get back to their home after what they tried to do with Laboon.

Not long after leaving the whale and Crocus behind, they were hit with bad weather, what started as simple snow, soon turned into cyclones, thunderstorms, high waves, blizzards, icebergs, you name it, they had to sail through it. There had been no end to it, and through it all, Luffy laughed.

He laughed because it was fun, but he also laughed because he knew that if he didn't, Usopp would panic more than he already was, and then he might have gotten hurt, or gotten somebody else hurt. And he couldn't have that. He also laughed because he knew they would be fine. He trusted Nami to get them through the storms. If he hadn't known with 100% certainty that they wouldn't be alright, he wouldn't have been anywhere close to laughing.

Of course, he wasn't the only one whose actions during the crisis Nami didn't really appreciate, he thought, as he listened to Nami and Miss Wednesday behind him, yelling at Zoro who had finally 'woken up'.

Silly Nami, didn't she know that where Zoro was sitting was the perfect spot to be able to easily jump in and quickly rescue anybody who potentially went overboard? That where he was sitting allowed him the best view of the deck where he could watch and be where he needed to be quickly? That he wasn't being lazy, he was saving his strength for after it was over, for in case they were attacked while they were all too tired to react properly?

He didn't say anything, though. Nami was just going to have to learn to trust that her crewmate knew what he was doing, and that if he was ever truly needed, then he would be right there.

Someday, she would learn, but for now, they were still too new as a crew. Someday, she would place more trust in them to be there when she needed them to be. Until then, they would watch, and wait.


	2. Luffy- Captain's Orders

Luffy sat on his figurehead and listened to the commotion behind him. They had left Alabasta about a week ago, and things had been calm since.

And boring. Very, very boring.

But, he realized that the calmness was a good thing, it let the others heal, rest, and relax. So, he tried not to complain. Too much. (See, he could think of others!)

Sometimes...

He'd give them a couple more days before he started bouncing everywhere again. He was getting fidgety, he had to move!

He glanced over at Zoro from his spot. Despite the fact that Zoro was settled down for one of his naps, he was facing the new crew member, Robin. He knew that it would take a while before Zoro trusted Robin like he trusted the rest of them. Oh, he would protect her just as easily as he protected the rest of them, but he wouldn't trust her. Not for a while yet. Which made sense, she had been their enemy.

Zoro and a few others had questioned why he let her stay, maybe not vocally or to his face, but he knew they questioned his decision in letting her on-board. Truthfully, he had wondered about it himself briefly.

But, the more he thought about it, the more it felt right. Her face down in that tomb (or whatever that place was) kept flashing in his mind. That moment when she told him to just leave her there, let her die. It was similar to the face Ace would sometimes have whenever he came back from another bar fight when they were younger, before Luffy finally managed to get him to stop going out. Honestly, asking complete strangers about a guy they never knew, never even met, what was Ace thinking, it wasn't like they were capable of giving him an honest answer that wasn't based on what the stupid government told them.

Whenever he came back, though, Luffy would do whatever he could to make Ace happy again, to distract him, and remind him that Ace had people who cared, that didn't care who his father was.

And when he saw that look on Robin's face, he wanted to do anything he could to get rid of it, just like he did with Ace years ago. He knew full well that Ace never really forgot, but he also knew that Ace knew that he had somebody who loved him.

Glancing over at Robin now, where she was sitting with a book in her lap while Sanji noodled around her, (which was long since termed a mystery since last Luffy checked, HE was the one who was made of rubber, not Sanji, but... whatever) he knew he made the right choice. And the others would come to realize that in time. Until they trusted her, they were just going to have to trust him.

After all, Captains Orders.


	3. Ace- A Good Crew

Ace was sitting around the campfire, watching as his little brother and his crew laid out around it, sleeping. He was thinking about how this group was perfect for his little brother, they were all experts in their various positions on the ship, and they were all more than willing to put up with his rubber-brained idiot self. They were also very protective of him.

That was good. That was very good.

All the good captains, even the strongest ones out there, needed someone willing to protect them, even if they did not need it. It was usually seen as the mark of a good captain, he saw it as the mark of a good crew.

He was so lost in thought that he didn't notice when Nami was woken up by the increasing chill around them. A chill that he naturally didn't even notice by nature of his devil fruit. When he did notice, it was only after she nudged his arm. "Can you restart the fire?" She whispered. He looked at her, startled, before he glanced at the fire and realized he had been so lost in thought he hadn't realized it was almost out. She had already placed some new logs and twigs on it, it just needed a fireball.

"Oh, yeah, sorry about that." He said quietly even as he lobbed a fireball in. She breathed a sigh of relief when the warmth increased. "So, how long have you been with Luffy?" He asked when it was clear she wasn't going to go back to sleep for a while.

"Oh, its been a while, technically, I'm the second one to join him, after Zoro." She said, coming to sit closer to him so they could hold their conversation without waking her tired crew and the princess traveling with them.

"Technically?"

She huffed a laugh. "Yeah, they met me when I was running from some of Buggy the Clown's men after stealing something from them. I hated pirates... my home village was under the control of Arlong and the Fishman Pirates at the time, and I'd been forced into being their cartographer. But then Luffy and Zoro come along, help free that town from Buggy, and ask me to join them. So... I did, sort of. The plan was to travel with them for a while, and then rob them blind so I could add it to the treasure pile I had. Arlong had a price put on my village... 100,000,000 bellies for their freedom." She explained.

"Ah, so they thought you were with them, but you weren't." Ace said in realization.

Nami smirked, and nodded. But then she frowned. "I was determined to hate them, simply because they claimed to be pirates. But... over time I just couldn't help but grow attached. While I was with them, they continually destroyed any and all beliefs I had about pirates. Yes, some of them are cruel and evil, but not all of them. They saved Usopp's village from a pirate thought to be executed three years ago, they helped an old pirate realize that the treasure he'd been protecting for years wasn't even there... They left half of my treasure behind once so that the townspeople would be able to rebuild." She said, she was still ticked about that. Not the fact that it was to help the townspeople. But the fact that it was her treasure and he just left it there!

Ace chuckled. "Yeah, that sounds like my brother all right. When we were younger, he was always   
giving away some of our hard earned (stolen) treasure and giving some of it out to the families in the Terminal. In secret, of course, otherwise some of the local thugs would have killed the family and stolen it back. Despite the fact that it was LUFFY giving it to them." He said fondly.

"What does it being Luffy giving it to them have to do with them leaving the family alone?" She asked, confused.

Ace chuckled. "I guess you could say Luffy and I had a bit of a reputation on our home island." He said with a grin, and left it at that. She frowned, reputation for what? "So, when did you officially join him?" Ace asked.

Nami laughed again, "Before we reached the Baratie and met Sanji, we met up with some bounty hunter friends of Zoro's, and they accidentally dropped a stack of bounty posters. One of them was Arlong's. It reminded me that I had to get back, so... when the boys were distracted with Don Krieg, I stole the Merry and went back home. I wasn't expecting them to follow me. Well," She amended. "I was, but I was expecting them to take their ship back and leave. Not stay and beat Arlong up before demanding I keep sailing with them. Freeing my home in the process." She said.

Ace laughed at that, "That sounds like Luffy. He wanted you, so he was going to do whatever it took to   
get you." He said. He didn't say that Luffy had done the same to him. Luffy had just kept coming after him until the incident with Porchemy, after which Ace had finally accepted Luffy's presence in his life, and their relationship only grew from there until they were close brothers. Of course, it was Sabo's death that really brought them closer together. He looked up at her when he heard her yawn. "You should go back to sleep. We have another long day tomorrow walking through the desert, and the heat doesn't make it any easier for you guys."" He said. Especially Luffy, where the heat didn't effect Ace at all, it just about killed Luffy. His rubber was a good insulator, which was good in the cold, not so good in the heat. And then, of course, there was Chopper. A cold weather animal in the desert.

She looked up and nodded, then went back to her sleeping roll and got back in it, falling asleep with a 'good night'. Ace chuckled before he looked at Luffy fondly again.

Yes, he had a good crew.


	4. Zoro- Reflections

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~italics~

Zoro sighed and relaxed against the railing, watching the idiot he'd decided to call captain fondly.

He didn't know when these emotions started creeping up on him, but he couldn't find it in himself to care.

Not even a year. It hasn't even been a year since the day they met. He snorted and shook his head, remembering what he'd said to Luffy moments after accepting his position on the crazy strawhat-wearing idiot's non-existent ship.

~If you get in my way, you will end yourself on my blade.~ He'd declared that he would follow his own ambitions, and threatened Luffy if any action of Luffy's ever caused him to give those up. Days later, when he fought MiHawk and lost? He'd apologized to Luffy... for disappointing him, for not being as strong as Luffy probably expected, for losing when he thought he would win.

His first impression of Luffy was that he was an idiot. He'd almost expected them to part ways soon after meeting for some reason or other, the kid was just too naïve seeming, too much of an idiot.

His bold declarations of being the Pirate King, and his endless energy annoyed him to no end. There had been several times when he contemplated getting rid of the brat just for some peace and quiet.

He almost laughed when he remembered what Coby had told him, that Luffy was the only one who could save him now, and that he was the only one who could save Luffy.

He hadn't realized just how lonely it was, until Luffy bounced into his life. Coby had no idea how true his words were... He was a fool to ever have called himself strong before meeting Luffy, before he had somebody worth fighting for, before he had somebody to protect.

A few months ago, he never would have even considered doing what he'd just done. Kuma had offered him a way out, had even questioned how his actions meant giving up his ambition, he hadn't even given it a second thought. At the beginning, Luffy took a second seat to his ambition, he'd even run off to fight MiHawk as a result, without a second thought that he probably should have waited for his captain to give the 'ok'. But now...

~The way I see it, how can I protect my ambition if I can't even protect my captain.~

When did it get turned around? When had his priorities flipped like that?

He'd even knocked that crap-cook out to keep him safe! What was up with that?

He reflected back on his journey at Luffy's side, on his actions throughout the trip, and snorted. He hadn't even realized what he was doing at the time.

Loguetown, he went running to save Luffy after the stupid idiot got himself caught by that dumb clown. Whiskey Peak, he went out to fight the bounty hunters on his own (not a difficult fight) to let his crew get some rest. Little Garden, he almost cut off his own feet to save the girls from being turned into wax statues, his own well-being had been an after-thought. Alabasta, he took charge of the crew without a thought when Luffy stayed behind to fight Crocodile, and tried to pair up his crew so they had the best chance of covering each other's weaknesses. Skypeia, he hadn't even hesitated to do everything possible to protect Robin, a woman he didn't trust or accept as a crewmate yet, because Luffy had said she was a Strawhat. He's not even going to go into the mess that was Water 7, but he knew that he mourned some of the lost innocence that was Monkey D. Luffy's natural charm.

Luffy's crew had started to crumble, so he stepped up and became their rock when Luffy started to falter at the unexpected losses.

All the times he'd stepped in front of Luffy and knocked somebody away, all the times he'd become Luffy's sword or shield so he could focus on his own fights without interruption.

He'd never meant to get attached, so when had it happened?

When had he become the guy who would sacrifice himself and everything he'd ever striven to achieve without a second thought? And for somebody who blackmailed him into joining him in the first place! When had he become the guy everybody else turned to in times of trouble? When had he become the guy who tried to contain his occasional blood-lust so that his weaker crewmates didn't get scared of him? He'd always said he didn't care what others thought, he'd never cared before that people would shy or run away from him in fear. He'd used to enjoy it, even. It meant he didn't have to deal with crowds or inane small talk from somebody who couldn't take a hint to go away.

When had he become the guy that would let others (Chopper or Luffy) take naps on him? Or climb into his hammock with him after a nightmare?

When had he stopped caring about all that?

When had he stopped caring about anything other then the well being and safety of his crew and captain?


	5. Garp- a Smart First Mate

Garp watched as his adorable grandson flew away on his new ship. It didn't take long for them to be out of sight. He smirked as he thought about what he just saw, just before they took off.

One of Luffy's crew had been stuck on shore, begging them to come back, making all kinds of excuses. But, despite the fact that Garp could tell Luffy was all for taking him back, Zoro refused, yelling that they couldn't trust him. Not yet.

And Luffy went with it, despite the fact that it was tearing everyone apart to leave their Nakama there.  
Until he apologized, and it was heartfelt.

It had been like a switch was flipped. Luffy's crew lit up and a few jumped to defend Luffy as well as the ship while he stretched his arm back for the boy left behind. He could hear their laughter and rejoicing the moment he was on the ship with them, where he belonged.

Luffy had a smart first mate, he didn't know what the long-nosed kid had done to almost get left behind, but clearly something big happened to make them lose their trust in him.

And it was smart for them to not just let him back on board like nothing happened. There was no telling if he might do it again if that happened.

"You let them go." Aokiji said beside him.

Garp looked at him with a grin, "No, I didn't expect them to fly off. I'm tired, I'm not as young as I used to be. I'll be in my cabin." He said, and walked off with a proud expression.

He could sleep better now knowing that Luffy had a smart first mate and a strong crew. He may not have been throwing at full strength, but he was at over half-strength. And they were still deflecting or slicing through them easily. He thought of the well-dressed blonde and smirked again.

He'd call Zeff later, or even find an excuse to pay him a visit, out there in the East Blue, and let him know how his son was doing.

They could keep his grandson out of too much trouble.

Hopefully...

Luffy was a D, after all.


	6. Robin- A New Family

Robin sat in her chair, luckily it had been brought off the Merry before the ship finally couldn't sail anymore. For once, she couldn't concentrate on her book. She could usually tune out the noises of the crew around her.

But not today.

Today, she was watching everyone go about their days as if nothing had happened over the past week. As if she hadn't gone with CP9, as if she didn't try to assassinate Iceberg, as if she didn't try to sacrifice herself so the crew could get away safely, only to find out later that they never had any intentions at all of actually holding their end of the deal.

As if they hadn't stormed and destroyed the Judicial Island of the World Government to get her back, as if they hadn't just declared war on the Marines for her.

The only thing off about their behavior that was any indication at all about the past week, was in how Chopper was being extra bossy (as per usual when they had injuries), and how Franky was still showing Usopp around the ship, so he would know where everything was in case he needed to make a few emergency repairs and Franky was gone for some reason, just until Franky came back to do full repairs, of course.

And, of course, the new ship itself. Oh, they would have been sailing away from Water 7 with a new ship regardless, but... it probably wouldn't have been built by Franky and Iceberg, and it probably wouldn't have been able to afford something so big. As it was, this was practically given to them (after Franky built it using materials he bought with the money he stole from them...)

She still couldn't believe it happened. After all her years of traveling on her own, joining organizations and crews only to leave or betray them in the end, depending on what was happening at the time. She had never thought she would ever find somebody who would put it all on the line for her like that. She'd been running for so long, she never thought she would ever have somewhere to call home, never thought she would ever have a family again after the destruction of her home island, after the scholars were all killed, all because they could read an ancient language, all because they wanted to know history.

She turned to look at where Luffy was laughing with Usopp and Chopper about something, Luffy and Zoro had spent all day after they got away from Garp locked away with Usopp somewhere, probably talking about his behavior at Water 7. Luffy may be a little bit of an idiot, but he could be serious and a responsible captain when he wanted to be. But, now it was clear that Usopp's actions were forgiven and forgotten, since they were now laughing and talking like nothing ever happened to begin with, normally Usopp would be less boisterous.

And nobody ever even mentioned her leaving, despite the fact that her crimes against the crew were so much greater, she put them all in great danger.

She smiled and looked up at Sanji when he noodled around her with a new recipe, he wanted to see what she thought. She smiled and laughed, accepting the snacks.

She decided not to think about it too much, and just enjoy her crew's antics. She wasn't going to dwell on it, she was going to enjoy her time with them, she wasn't planning on going anywhere anymore.


	7. Ace- Light in the Dark

Ace stared at the newspaper in front of him. And he stared. And stared.

He'd just stopped at this island to restock supplies, and he just happened to overhear a few locals discussing the morning newspaper over their lunch in the diner he was in, he had been debating whether or not a dine-and-dash would have been worth it.

But, most of all, they were discussing Luffy being in the paper.

Had Luffy really set out already? He knew it had been getting close to that time, but he was pretty bad about keeping track of dates sometimes. Especially when he was away from the ship for any amount of time. Although he was currently on his way back to the Moby after his long 'solo' mission. Well, it hadn't started as a solo mission, he'd had a member of his division with him, unfortunately, he'd been caught in an avalanche on the winter island they were at.

Ace had thought he was safely tucked away in a neighboring village, he hadn't known that the man had been up in the mountains searching for a medicinal herb he'd heard about from one of the village doctors, he'd apparently wanted to bring some back for the Whitebeard's medical staff to take a look at. By the time Ace found out he was in the mountains, right about where the avalanche had been, it had been too long. They had too much area to search, and not enough time to find him. Sure enough, when they finally did find him (with a bag full of herbs), he'd been frozen. Not even Ace could have thawed him out.

So, maybe it wasn't really so strange he didn't know what the date was before this. He'd been avoiding all signs of civilization while heading home. He wouldn't have stopped here, except he was out of food, and he really didn't think those herbs were edible.

He could also admit to taking his time going back, he didn't know how he was going to face Pops about this. That was his brother, a member of HIS division, it was Ace's responsibility to make sure he came home safe.

He failed.

He shook his head to get rid of these thoughts. He didn't want to dwell on what happened, if he did he would just get mad, and then he would start to get depressed, and then he would start thinking of doing stuff that would make Luffy sad if his baby brother knew he was doing it.

He looked at the bounty poster that had been with the paper, and, for the first time in weeks, he smiled.

His baby brother was already out there causing havoc and mayhem.

Now that he knew this, he wanted to get home, he had to tell his family the good news (and the bad news, too). Thatch would want to start planning Luffy's welcome into the New World.

He barely noticed that his previously dark mood had been chased away just by seeing a picture of his baby brother.

Luffy truly was his light in the darkness.


	8. Ace- the Weakest Sea?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is just Ace being... Ace.

"Hey, Marco..." Ace said, staring at the newspaper headlines. They were blaring about a new, strong player within the East Blue, the weakest of the four Blues. (And no, it wasn't about Luffy, he still had another year yet before he sailed.)

Marco sighed quietly. Here he'd been hoping for a nice, quiet breakfast after a night in the crow's nest. "Yes, Ace?"

"Why do you think they consider the East to be the Weakest Sea? I mean, I know it's the CALMEST sea, but can it really be the weakest when such strong people have come from there?" Ace asked. He didn't notice when everybody nearby started staring at him, which led to the rest of the room quieting down to see what had them so interested. "I mean, you have Garp, Dragon... Roger." He forced his voice to stay even on Roger's name. "And that guy Pops was telling me about the other day, that Lion guy... Four of the strongest men in the world. And, I mean, I'm not a weakling myself, either..." He still had yet to notice how silent the room was. "And I just know that when my brother sets out, he and his crew are going to be stronger than all of them." Ace finished.

He turned to Marco again, "So, why do you think its considered the weakest? After all, it's the birthplace of both the world's Pirate King's, past and future." He was fully aware that he would be trying to make Pops the King instead of Luffy, but he also knew that Pops wasn't really interested in the title. His kid brother certainly was.

Marco could only blink at him for a second, the surprise clearly written all over his usually lazy face. "Well, I don't think a handful of strong people are enough to make for the millions of weak ones that come out of that sea." He said slowly before excusing himself. He wasn't sure if he was going to go to his quarters and laugh over Ace's latest 'puzzle', or try to get some sleep before he had to get back to work keeping this shipload of over-grown children in line, and then try and forget all about this one.

Ace frowned at his back when he left, then he turned to the closest person and asked if they knew.

The whole time, the other commanders sat back and listened in amusement. Oh, yeah. The kid would make an excellent commander...


	9. Ace- A New Commander

"Ace!" The man in question turned when he heard his name being called.

"Yeah?" He asked when he saw who it was.

"Marco wants to see you."

"Whatever it is, I didn't do it." Ace blurted. Which, was actually the truth. But, that didn't stop everyone within earshot to start looking around and moving about the ship cautiously, something Ace noticed and inwardly smirked at.

"Uh, I don't know what he wants, but thanks for the heads up." The now nervous first-division member said before he told Ace where Marco was and quickly left to go hid- er, go take a nap. Yeah, he was just going to take a nap, he wasn't busy right now, he wasn't on watch, or on chore duty today.

Ace's mental smirk got bigger. He honestly hadn't done anything. But they didn't know that... and now they thought he did. Sometimes, the best prank was making everyone think there was one, when there wasn't. He could just sit back and watch them lose it. He would have to warn Thatch later on though, so he didn't pull something and ruin what Ace had going right now.

"Hey, Marco, I was told you wanted to see me?" He called cheerfully once he finally found the first-mate. His little non-prank had put him in a good mood. Something that Marco noticed and raised an eyebrow at, but decided to let go... for now. He would find out later what the fireman did, he was already planning out the punishment.

The night-crew told him that they found a bunch of knotted up sail lines thrown into a room and left, and none of them knew how long they'd been laying there or who put them there, but whoever put them there, somebody needed to unknot them and coil them up in one of the supply rooms... hmm... That seemed like a fitting punishment...

He pulled himself out of his thoughts and focused on Ace, who was actually looking a little nervous now, probably from the long silence and the way Marco was looking at him. "Yes, I'm sending you out on a supply run with some of my division. You're in charge. Here's the list. My men already know where your going, try not to blow up the island while your there." He said, before walking away to deal with an argument that he just heard start up somewhere on deck.

Ace stared after him in shock, before blinking and studying the list Marco handed him. It was a very strange list... flour, some fresh eggs, booze, sugar, streamers... a dagger? Was it somebodies birthday and nobody bothered to tell him? He knew it wasn't his, the only one who even knew what month his birthday was, let alone what day, was Luffy. And Luffy was back home on Dawn Island, with no contact with the Moby Dick.

And why on earth were they putting him in charge? Why wasn't Marco's division right-hand in charge like he normally was when a group from the First was sent out without Marco accompanying them? Not to mention, why was he going at all? He was part of the Second Division, why put him in charge of men from the First? What on earth...?

Finally, he shook his head and decided to just go with it, and head for his room to pack a spare pair of pants or two before heading for the boat. Inwardly, he pouted, because if he was leaving, that meant he wouldn't be able to watch everybody fall apart trying to figure out what he didn't do! He stopped, then detoured. "Hey, Thatch!" He called when he stepped just inside the doorway of the kitchen. This was the farthest inside that he was allowed to come, much to his disappointment.

"Ace! What's up." Thatch called over. "Hold on just one moment!" Ace nodded and watched (no, he was not drooling, either), while Thatch finished what he was making and put it in the oven. It smelled so good! Great, now he was hungry. When Thatch finally came over, "Ok, now, what's up?" He asked again.

"This morning, I set some of the First Division off, trying to figure out what prank I pulled this time." Thatch looked somewhat confused, this was nothing new. "Except, that this time, I didn't pull anything." Now Thatch was starting to look excited, which added to Ace's growing smirk. Then he pouted, which he would deny if anybody ever told him. "Unfortunately, Marco is sending me off for a supply run, so I can't stay and watch the fall-out. Be a good older brother and record some of it for me?" He practically begged.

"They're going to be paranoid messes by the time they figure it out." Thatch breathed, his eyes glazed over at the thought.

Ace smirked again and nodded happily. "I didn't even mean to do it."

"Oh, that's the best kind of prank, little brother. All right, I have a few minutes before I need to be back here, I'll go set up a few recording-snails for you. Good luck on the supply run." He said with a smirk before sauntering off to find where he hid the recording-snails since he used them last. Ace breathed a sigh of relief that he wasn't going to miss the show before running to his room, and from there to the supply boat to meet up with the rest of the group for this little trip.

Marco and the rest of the commanders stood around Pops chair, watching as Ace and the rest of the supply runners set sail. "You sure he's ready, Pops? Running a division is a lot of work." Namur asked, glancing at their father and captain.

"Yes, he's ready. As soon as they get back, we finish the preparations, and then we celebrate our new Division Commander, Fire-Fist Ace."


	10. Shanks- Little Anchor

Shanks was sitting away from the rest of the crew, bottle of sake in hand, a wanted poster in his lap, proudly displaying the grinning face of one Monkey D. Luffy.

His little Anchor.

He grimaced when his arm stump twinged in remembered pain, but after a moment grinned instead at the thought of the cheerful, energetic little boy being let loose upon the unsuspecting world. Maybe he should warn a few of his allies...?

Nah, they should figure it out when they caught sight of Hat. Well... those of them that knew him back then, anyway. Either way, these next few years should be fun. And nerve-wracking. If he remembered correctly the kind of trouble Anchor had a habit of getting into and the kind of chaos he left behind him. And the kind of relationships he tended to squeeze out of people.

He leaned back against the tree behind him and looked up at the sky, remembering the first time Luffy showed up on board the Red Force not long after they met. The first time he'd really paid the kid any attention, and the real start of their relationship.

_Shanks was woken up, with the usual pounding hangover and already wishing he could go back to sleep, by shouting and loud laughter coming from the more coherent of his crew. Despite the fact that silence in the mornings was one of the few rules on his ship (unless they were under attack, of course). ESPECIALLY on mornings following a party._

_Which was most mornings..._

_He got up, and stumbled towards the door, grumbling about people who couldn't keep it down and how they were doing chores for the next few months for waking him up. He just might take a page out of the Phoenixes book and create extra ship chores just for them. The nastiest he could think of. And... cut them off their sake for a few weeks, as well. Yeah, that would do it._

_His brain stuttered to a halt when he stepped outside (why was it so bright out?! The light burns!), only to see the cheerful kid that hung around the local bar and seemed to have attached himself to Shanks and his crew. What was the kid doing here? Was there something wrong with him mentally? Because what six-seven year old kid wants to hang around a bunch of pirates? Especially a kid from such a peaceful island?_

_Although, he mused, that might actually be part of the problem._

_His thoughts once again stuttered to a halt when he realized what some of his bounty-less fighters were doing. They were teaching the kid how to throw a proper punch._

_Or... trying to... anyway._

_He winced when the kid threw a punch, over-reached, and promptly spun around before landing on his butt. Prompting more laughter from his teachers as they helped him up and tried to correct his form, again._

_(He would later learn that the kid actually packed quite a bit of power in those small fists of his. Unfocused and untrained as it was, despite, as Makino would later tell him, the 'training' efforts of his grandfather. Who he did NOT want to meet while they were here.)_

_He turned and made his way towards where his Haki and knowledge of the man told him his first mate was, watching the proceedings on deck. "Benny?" He asked/begged. "What's the kid doing here? And why are my men teaching him to fight?" He was honestly confused. Why on earth did the kid come to a pirate ship, instead of staying home and having breakfast with his parents?_

_Benn, his wonderful, caring, kind, and patient first mate; smirked in somewhat sadistic amusement at seeing his captain so lost for answers. "Kid showed up out of nowhere and said he was lonely. Somewhere in the conversation, he mentioned his punches being like pistols, and how he was a good fighter. So, the boys asked him to show them, and... seeing his, ah, attempts, decided that it was just sad and they would teach him a little bit."_

_Shanks frowned, lonely? What about his parents?_

_Benn seemed to sense his next question, because he continued, "I asked him if his parents wouldn't be worried, he said that he didn't have any. So, I asked him who he lived with, if they wouldn't be worried. He said he lived alone because his grandfather was busy, kid doesn't even know where he is. All I could get out of him was that his grandfather was a Marine somewhere." He said._

_Shanks frown deepened. "Kid was lonely, so he came to find a bunch of pirates to play with?" He asked in disbelief, watching as the kid finally managed to throw a punch without landing on the ground. Although, he still over-reached and spun around a bit. "Kid's lucky that we are the kind of pirates we are, and not like some of the others sailing around these days." He muttered. Benn nodded beside him. He could name a few captains off the top of his head out there who would just take the kid and sell him, or keep him and put him to work. Depending on how broke they were or who they knew._

_And, there went Shanks' theory on the kid being so friendly with them because this was a peaceful place. If his grandfather was a Marine... and probably one of the higher-ups. None of the cannon fodder Marines were old enough to be grandfathers. No, those that were old enough to be grandfathers were the ones that, for the most part, sat around and debated on everyday matters, like new bounties and disciplinary measures for soldiers acting up, and acting up in a big enough way that their direct superiors sent them to Headquarters to be court-martialed. Or worse... the Vice-Admirals._

_Great, they were going to have to keep an eye out, no need for a Marine grandpa to show up while they were on vacation and spoil it, after all._

_Although, that still didn't explain why the kid was here._

_On a pirate ship._

_Learning how to throw a punch from some of his men._

_... It was way too early in the morning for this._

_He watched for another minute, decided that it was too early for this without breakfast and sake, especially with his headache, and sighed. "I'm going for a walk." He muttered to Benn, who raised an eyebrow, but nodded knowingly. Somehow, he left the ship without the kid noticing him, (that kid could be like a little monkey sometimes, once he latched on, he just would not let go!) and made his way towards the Party Bar. Ducking inside, he was pleased to see the barmaid, Makino, was there._

_"Oh, Captain! Good morning, what can I get you?" She asked when she saw him._

_"Oh, some breakfast sounds good, I'll take whatever. And some sake!" He called after her when she nodded and turned to go into the kitchen to get his food. While she was gone, he could not get that weird kid out of his head. How on earth is a kid as sunny and bubbly as that one, lonely enough that he turns to a group of pirates he just met the week before, for company? Surely, some of the village parents looked after him? Or something?_

_When Makino came back, he gave her a giant grin, and started digging in, with a quick 'thank you'. When he was half-way through, he slowed down a little so he could talk. The kid spent so much time hanging around here, he figured that the owner of the place had to know something. "So... a kid showed up on my ship this morning, claiming to be lonely." He started, looking up at her. She grimaced. He didn't even need to go further than that before she understood._

_"His grandfather is Garp." She started, and then raised a knowing eyebrow when he just about spat out his sake in shock. "Garp shows up about once or twice a year, there have been occasions where he showed up more often, rarely. When he shows up, he usually takes off with Luffy to the forest, claiming that they are going to train. He almost always comes back without Luffy, and then a week or so later, Luffy either stumbles back into town, or Garp has to go find him because he didn't come back on his own. That's pretty much the extent of their relationship."_

_Shanks stared at her in horror. He knew Garp was crazy, but to treat his grandson like that... no wonder Dragon started the Army, if his father ever came after him he would have a bunch of people to throw between the two of them while he made his escape. That wasn't why the Army was really there, but... that was one use for them. And, yes, he knows about the relationship between Dragon and Garp. Most of the upper-hierarchy of the pirates knew, they just didn't care. It was kind of hard not to know when Dragon used to be an Admiral himself until he left._

_He turned his attention back to her when she started talking again. "The rest of the year, Luffy lives on his own, sure, Garp sends money to either myself or the mayor to pay for his upkeep, food and clothes. But... there's only so much we can do in terms of human company. We both have jobs to do and a living of our own to make."_

_Shanks looked back down at his food in thought. And then she continued before disappearing back into the kitchen, "When you and your crew showed up, is honestly the most excited and the happiest I have seen him in a long time. He's always been a cheerful kid, I don't think that will ever change, but... there are days when it's forced. Those days have been happening more and more often lately. But now, his laughter and smiles are real again." She gave him a soft smile before she left._

_Shanks sat back and thought some more. The kid had looked like he was having the time of his life training with his men. And he did always seem disappointed when Makino sent him home for the night, or when the pirates left a few days ago to explore the surrounding islands a little bit, they only came back to dock here last night._

_Not long after Makino left to get more food (probably for Luffy and the rest of the crew that would no doubt follow their captain soon enough, the cooks were really strict about not using up their food stores when they were docked at an inhabited island), the bar started filling up with those of his crew that were awake and the least hung-over. In the middle of them was a bouncing, cheering child, who really had way too much energy for his own good._

_The more he watched, the more he found himself laughing, and teasing the boy right alongside his men. His back was turned, so he missed the fond and knowing look on Benn's face, but Makino didn't. She leaned over to him, and whispered, "Try to remind your captain, you can't keep him." She said with a teasing smile for his captain. Benn sighed and nodded his agreement. He didn't want to keep the boy, the seas were no place for kids. Even Shanks, back when he was on the King's crew, had been a teenager when he joined._

Shanks smiled again. It was hard to believe that less than a year later, he had willingly given up his arm for that same kid, and thus had to spend months training to get his strength back up to what it was when he was still in possession of two arms. Losing that arm had seriously thrown off his balance, his speed, everything. Luckily, he was fully capable of using both his arms in a fight, so it wasn't like he lost his dominant arm or anything and had to train the other from scratch.

He glanced down at the wanted poster again, he had worried, after they left, that Luffy would go back to being lonely again. Which was part of why he'd given him Hat, and a promise. To give the boy something to focus on. Of course, that was only a very small part. He'd seen his old captain in the boy, and he knew that Luffy was probably the only one worthy of carrying it. He needed not have worried, though. Since, according to Ace, Garp showed up not long after Shanks left Dawn Island for the last time and dragged Luffy up into the mountains to live with him and the mountain bandits that raised him.

Ace... Roger's boy.

He was destined for great things too. He was Whitebeard's problem now, though. Shanks would watch Luffy's rise, and he would wait. He'd been doing it for ten years, he could wait a little longer.

He would always wait for his little Anchor. That was his promise, after all.


	11. Brook- A New Song

Brook sat in on one of the lounge chairs on deck, sipping his tea and enjoying the feel of the sun on his bones.

He was watching the rest of his new crew go about their days, creating noise, and chaos with almost everything they did, without fail. It was quite amusing, and reminded Brook of his old crew. Mentally, he was rewriting a song he came up with while stuck in the Florian Triangle.

Well, it was more like the only song he'd written. He'd been constantly changing it as he pleased, almost grateful that there hadn't been any paper on board or he would have run out years ago anyway with how often he rewrote this one song. It was something he'd started not long after his soul finally found his body again, only to find bones and then realize that his crew was gone, and it was only him left.

It was supposed to capture the heart of what he'd lost. Supposed to reflect what Nakama meant, what his crew, the Rumbar Pirates really were. They were a crew of musician pirates, but they were more than that. They were family, Nakama, brothers.

Unfortunately, over the years, as time faded memories like it tended to do, he found that every time he thought it was finished, he would play it, and it sounded like it was missing something. So, he spent the better part of fifty years playing music, and writing, and rewriting this one song, trying to get it right. But he just couldn't figure out what it was missing. No matter how he rewrote it, that something was still missing.

He was going to finish this song, especially as he now had an audience to play for again, he wanted to play it for his new crew, for his new Nakama. But he refused to play anything for an audience that was only half-written. Playing around with it, and writing it while somebody was nearby to hear it was one thing. But to just outright play an unfinished piece... If they were the Rumbar Pirates, he could have done that and they would have helped him figure out what was missing, but none of his new crew were musicians. Sadly.

Oh, well. He didn't mind being the only musician on board! If anything, he relished in the challenge of keeping them entertained! Especially with how lively they all were.

He smiled as he watched Luffy run by, being chased by Sanji after he stole some food that was evidently meant for either Nami or Robin. His new Nakama certainly were...

His thoughts trailed off while he considered the word 'Nakama', and what it meant. His mind was turning, he knew he was onto something... something with the song. When he finally figured it out, he felt like he'd been struck by lightning. (He knew what he was talking about, unavoidable, really, when you had somebody like Nami on the ship who could summon lightning at the drop of a hat.)

That was it, Nakama! That was what the song was missing! It wasn't anything to do with the lyrics or melody, it was that it was a song about Nakama, and he'd been playing it on his own! With no Nakama to share it with! He was the problem, he was the one that was missing something!

With a cheerful Yohohoho!, he pulled out his violin and started playing, truly playing in a way that he hadn't really played in years. After all, music wasn't meant to be played just for oneself, locked away. Music was meant to be _shared_.

And that was exactly what he was going to do, he thought as his new Nakama gathered around once they realized he was playing something new. He was going to share this song, for the first time in years, with his new Nakama.


	12. Zeff- Little Eggplant

"Hey, Boss, Chore-boy and his crew got new bounty posters!" Patty said when he came in Zeff's office with that morning's newspaper. "I didn't see one for Sanji, though..." He trailed off, placing the posters on the desk for Zeff to flip through.

"Oh? That's odd, even their pet has a bounty, why would...?" Zeff muttered, until he came to a badly drawn poster and stopped. He spent at least five minutes blinking and staring at the poster from every angle. "Hmm... Patty, look at this one."

"Eh? What about it?" Patty asked, confused. He didn't know who this was. Sure, the name was right, but surely their Sanji wasn't the only person in the entire Five Seas (six if you ask anybody in Paradise or the New World) with the name 'Sanji'?

"Well, the name is right, the moniker would fit with both his fighting style and fashion sense, the eyebrow is even curled..." Zeff said, doubtfully. He wondered if he was trying to find similarities that didn't exist in this picture. Or if somebody was really this horrible of an artist. "And, according to this, this person is a Strawhat." He finished, pointing at the small emblem in the corner that indicated what Jolly Roger this person sailed under, if any.

"Yeah, but with such an impressive bounty, wouldn't they make sure they have a better picture?" Patty was still confused. "I mean, look at the pictures they got of that girl that was with them." He held up Nami's poster. "It looks like they got her to pose like a model! While everyone else is in different fighting poses. Well, except for the pet. Why did they give the pet a bounty?" He was honestly confused on that point.

"Hmm..." Zeff glanced at Chopper's poster. "Could be that the pet isn't a mere pet, but the Marines themselves aren't quite sure what kind of role he fills on the ship." He shrugged and went back to the poster that may or may not be his Lil' Eggplant. "Let me call somebody and ask. Garp should know." He finally muttered. After all, the old Marine had managed to track down Sanji's past way back when they were still recovering from nearly starving on that rock. He never mentioned to Sanji that he knew about Germa 66, and he never questioned why he had been working on that passenger ship in the first place. He figured that who the boys family was, was enough of an explanation on that front.

"Alright, boss. Man, if that is Sanji, I am never going to let him live it down." Patty left, already laughing at the possibility that it was Sanji. He also wanted to let the others know that Sanji might have a bounty already. Of course, he had to explain that they didn't know for sure that it was him because the drawing was so awful. Yes, Carne, drawing. Not picture.

In the meantime, Zeff made his call, and stared at the drawing that he was more and more positive was Sanji. A fond smile crossed his face when he thought of how his boy was doing out there. "Hey, Garp... Yeah, it's me, Zeff. Listen, you might be able to help clear something up for me over here..."

Ten minutes later, he hung up and beamed, staring at the bounty poster in front of him. Yup, it was his Sanji alright. That was a very impressive amount for a first bounty. Not nearly as impressive as Chore-boys had been considering that Sanji had gotten his already half-way through Paradise and Chore-boy got his when he was still in East Blue, but still an impressive amount indeed. And, the lack of a good picture might keep his birth family away for longer. As far as they were concerned, he died years ago, after all.

Smiling, he made his way to the kitchen, the customers were going to get a treat today, he was in a good mood. And when he was in a good mood, there was only one thing he would allow to come from the kitchen, and that was his own food. Using a recipe learned from the Okama Queen of Kamabakaland him/herself.

He knew his boy would make a name for himself, he knew that he could do it.


	13. He Saved Us

Zoro

He didn't know where he was going. At the moment, he was tied to this post, relying on the integrity of a spoiled brat to keep his word and let him go without hurting that little girl afterward. But he didn't know where to go after this.

For years, he'd worked with one goal, to be the best. That was the promise he and Kuina had made to each other. He refused to break that promise, he refused to give up on his ambitions. But lately he'd been wondering what would happen once he reached that goal.

He knew that there would be no shortage of challengers once he reached that point, there was no shortage of challengers _now_ , and he'd only been on his own for a year.

But none of them were a challenge. How could they be? He was the acknowledged best swordsman in the East Blue. He felt like he'd learned all he could here, but he had no idea how to go further.

His life was starting to feel repetitive, dull.

Aside from the occasional fights for bounties and challenges, all he seemed to be doing was eating, sailing aimlessly, and weight training where he could.

He couldn't have known all that would change with one rubber-brained idiot of a pirate captain with a dream even crazier then his.

~SM~

Nami

She was stuck.

She had to gather one-hundred million Belli, or her home village would be in Arlong's control forever. She'd heard what happened to Gosa, and she knew that someday that would be Cocoyashi. The people's pockets weren't very deep to begin with, and were getting shallower and shallower, especially the more they were forced to stop trade with other islands so they focus on their own survival.

She knew that no matter what, Arlong would find a way to keep her. Deep down, she also knew that he had no intentions of ever letting Cocoyashi go, no matter how long it took her, or how hard she tried, or how much money she gathered. No matter how much she convinced herself that he would honor his word, she knew.

But she couldn't stop trying. This was the only thing she could do, the only way she could help her village survive. They didn't need to know that she was leaving enough money for those that couldn't pay that month, so that they could pay. She also knew that if she missed somebody that couldn't pay...

She knew that Nojiko wanted her to just leave them, to go out and be free.

But she couldn't leave her home behind, she couldn't leave the villagers that helped raise her behind.

She didn't see a way out of this, she knew she was going to die as an 'officer' of the Arlong Pirates.

How was she supposed to know that a loud-mouthed rubber-brat was going to change all that?

~SM~

Usopp

He was always talking about getting out in the world, and following his fathers footsteps. He was always talking about being a brave warrior of the sea.

But everytime he thought about actually leaving, he was too scared to go through with it.

He tried to be content here, playing with the kids, calling them a pirate crew, but he knew they were just playing at being pirate. He wanted so badly to go out to sea, to see what was out there in the world, but he just couldn't bring himself to do it.

After Kaya got sick and he started visiting her, he told himself that it would just be until she was well again. But by the time the one year mark had passed and she wasn't better, he knew he was just making excuses for himself. At this rate, he was never leaving this island, and he tried to make himself be alright with that.

That all changed when a rubbery pirate captain and his crew of two and a half (Nami claimed to not really be one of them) landed on his beach promising adventure.

~SM~

Sanji

He'd long since given up on his dream of finding the All-Blue.

Maybe he really did just want to stay out of a sense of debt and loyalty to the old geezer, maybe it was fear that his family would find him, he didn't know. Whatever the case, he was probably going to die in this restaurant, running it alongside Zeff and refusing all his attempts to run him out.

Eh, he could go out doing something worse, he supposed...

He ignored the itch in the back of his mind every time he looked out at sea, and forced himself to stop imagining himself sailing on her, finding the All-Blue...

He tried to tell himself he was content here, he couldn't just leave, he told himself the old geezer had to acknowledge his cooking first. He ignored the part where that likely would never happen, that just wasn't how the old man was, he ignored where the fact he was the Assistant Head Chef over all the other professional and experienced chefs hired on _was_ his acknowledgement.

He found himself excited again to pursue his dream for the first time in years.

And it was all because of a strange, fearless kid with wild dreams of his own, and crewmates that almost killed themselves for their own dreams.

~SM~

Vivi

She was stuck. She knew who was behind the unrest that was tearing her kingdom apart, she knew exactly who it was.

She just didn't know what exactly she could do about it. She knew that she had to do something, she wasn't about to stand back and do nothing with it.

The problem was, what?

They could appeal to the World Government to control their dog, her family held quite a bit of influence with them, and for good reason, but that would open the door for them to be able to come into her kingdom and meddle where they weren't wanted. For centuries her family only managed to keep them out by the skin of their teeth and the knowledge that the Nefertari family had knowledge that could destroy them should they be pressed enough. Ignoring the fact that that knowledge was in an ancient language that few, if any, could even read.

Crocodile had an army behind him, and so did Alabasta, but Crocodile was also using the people of Alabasta to fight his war for him, she didn't want anybody to die, even though all of her training in battle strategy said that was inevitable.

Then she met a cheerful pirate crew, led by a lovable idiot of a captain who accepted her without question and agreed to help her get home to stop the war without a second thought.

And even though she stayed behind with her people, she knew that she would always be one of them

~SM~

Chopper

He thought he was happy.

He was learning medicine, he had Doctorine, and he was able to help people. He was doing what Doctor Hiriluk had always wanted to do, and had taught him was one of the important things in life.

Sometimes, though, he would go to the top of the castle towers, and he would look out over the island, at the ocean. And he would imagine everything the doctor had told him about those who sailed it, the adventures they could have.

Sometimes Doctorine would ask him if he ever wanted to set sail, and he always denied it fiercely, after all. What could a monster like him possibly do out there? At least here, even if he had to stay hidden in his natural form, he could still help the people, even if it was to just carry the doctor's supplies and hand her what she needed...

Then he met an even bigger monster in charge of a crew of monsters. They wanted him... for him! He couldn't believe it when the captain was shocked that he was a doctor... _after_ he was already on board as a member of the crew.

~SM~

Robin

She'd been running for years. 

Running for the next lead on the Void Century, running from the World Government and their lackey Marines, running from bounty hunters, running from shady organization after shady organization that thought they could use her. 

And now, she was so close she could almost smell it, only for it to turn out to be yet another false lead. She didn't care about the weapon Pluton, that wasn't what she wanted. 

She was tired of running. She'd thought... But that didn't matter anymore. 

And then she met the cheerful captain who didn't care about her past, but promised her a safe place where she could stay, and stop running. 

~SM~

Franky

He was content, happy even, where he was. 

Sure, he didn't build that ship he wanted to build (no matter how much he blamed it on the lack of money, he was the one that called for a party to spend all their money, after all...), but he had the Franky Family all around him. They were his family, the family of misfits and outcasts that he put together and formed a (rather formidable, if he says so himself) bounty hunting, black-market running, and ship scrapping crew. 

His dream... well, let's just say that it's never going to happen, not anymore. He'd once dreamed of building a ship even better then Tom's _Oro Jackson_. A ship to sail anywhere, through anything. 

Unfortunately, after everything that happened to his mentor, he wasn't quite willing to actually do it. Even if he did get the materials he needed. 

He shook his head and almost commanded himself to stop mentally building the blueprints of his dream-ship. It wasn't going to happen, so there was no point to having blueprints, mental or written down. 

Besides, he needed to stay here and protect Iceburg should those government goons come back for the blueprints to the Ancient Weapon. Just because Iceburg didn't have them, didn't even know where Franky hid them, was no reason to assume they would just let him go. He knew how these goons worked. They were the ones that attacked the island using his mini battleships, then blamed it on him, all to get Tom's probationary sentence revoked. 

No, he was happy here. 

He found that he didn't know what happiness was until he met a bouncy captain, willing to risk it all for a crewmate telling him to go away.

Just like Tom. 

~SM~

Brooke  
He was literally stuck in the fog. His crew was long since dead, his shadow had been stolen from him years ago, and he longed for nothing more then to at least see the sun again. Unfortunately, because of his missing shadow, to see the sun again meant his death. 

He'd long since resigned himself to sailing on a ghost ship, playing his violin until he either drifted out of the fog, the creatures of the Triangle finally found him, and talking to the caskets he'd built out of wood scraps taken from other ghost ships and long since laid the remains of his friends to rest inside. 

He'd long since run out of paper even, so he wasn't able to write down his new songs until he found another ghost ship to raid for supplies like paper and dried milk. He might as well go through their treasuries, too, while he was at it, assuming that ship hadn't already been stripped of all it's valuables. He had a stash of useless (to him, anyway) medical supplies, treasure, and weapon maintenance supplies. He didn't know what he was going to do with it all, either. It was just sitting there, just like he was. Once in a while, he did some training, and tried to see what the limits of the Devil-Fruit that he once thought was a dud were, but there wasn't really much for him to do. 

He'd seen nothing but fog and broken down ships for so long...

He saw the sun again in a bright grin on the face of a rubbery pirate captain and his cheerful looking ship. 

~SM~

If anybody were to ask any of the Strawhats, they would say that they were completely content with where their lives were when they met Luffy, that they weren't in any danger. That they didn't need any help.

Truthfully?

Luffy saved each and every one of them.

They would do anything to save him in turn.


	14. Will Power

"Master! They've all been defeated! Oars flattened them!" Another zombie ran into the chapel, just before he and Sanji started fighting. 

"I don't understand, shadow's are completely under Moriah's control, they are totally compliant. He's supposed to be on our side, isn't he?" Absalom demands. "What's going on?" He wonders out loud. 

"Heh!" Sanji scoffed, actually calming down from the near rampage and looking amused. "This that crap-zombie you put my captain's shadow inside of?" He asked, smirking. 

"Huh? Yeah..." Absalom said slowly, giving him a funny look. 

"My captain is the single most selfish childish person to ever sail the seas." Sanji announced proudly. "But he's also... the single most stubborn. If you think that you can control his shadow so easily, well... I'm afraid that you will be disappointed." He shrugged, lighting a cigarette and absently making sure Nami was safe where he left her, since the upcoming fight was going to be destructive. 

Absalom growled. "There isn't a shadow on this planet that Moriah cannot control!" He snapped. 

"He's never met Luffy before, clearly." Sanji shrugged it off. 

"He's going to be King of the Pirates. He's not going to let something like this slow him down."


End file.
